Anchor attachment for windmill-posts



(No Model.)

L. J. IVI. NEHP.

ANCHOR ATTACHMENT FOR WINDMILL PosTs.

No. 407,106. Patented July 16, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICEe LEONARD J. M. NEHF, OF SUTTON, NEBRASKA.

ANCHOR ATTACH Wl ENT FOR WIN DIVIILL-POSTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,106, dated July 16, 1889. Application filed April l0. 1889x Serial No. 306,741. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, LEONARD J. M. NEHF, residing at Sutton, in the county of Clay and State of Nebraska, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Anchor Att-achments for vindmill-losts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a device which may be conveniently secured in the ground and be attached to the lower ends of the posts of windmill-towers and the like, and which will form an effectual means for anchoring said posts to the ground.

It has also for its object to provide means whereby the said device, when inserted into the ground, is securelybraced therein in such a manner that the same cannot become loose.

My invention consists in certain peculiar features of construction and novel arrangement of parts, as will hereinafter be fully de* scribed in the annexed specification, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of my improvement as applied to the lower end of a wi ndmill-tower post. Fig. 2 is a view showing the attachment inserted in the ground and the wedge being' driven in place, and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the several parts of the device detached.

In the accompanying drawings, A A indicate two legs formed of wrought metal,which may be from three to six feet in length, ae eording to the height of the tower to be anchored. These legs are provided with a series of coincident apertures a a in the upper ends, the lower ones a of which are slightly elongated and form bearings to receive a transverse bolt b, which I shall term the pivotbolt.7 These legs, when they are of about three feet in length, are about one and a quarter inch thick at their pivotal point and taper upward O11 their inner 'face to a thickness at the upper end of about one-quarter of an inch. They also taper downwardly on their inner f'aees to a thickness of about one-half an inch at the lower ends, said legs being from about four to six inches wide. The lower ends of the legs are turned outwardly at right angles and formed into spearshaped feet o o, the purpose of which will presently appear.

C C denote elongated slots formed vertically in the legs A A, near the lower ends thereof, the lower inner ends of which are beveled, as at c c.

D D denote loops or bails secured to the outer faces of the legs, which project therefrom and pass transversely across the lower portion of the slots.

E denotes a wedge-block, which, when driven in place, rests with its upper outer edges in the lower ends of the slots (l (l, and is held from upward movement. therein by the loops D D, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

F denotes an adjustable yoke provided with boxes e c, which iit over the upper ends of the legs and serve to hold the same apart when their lower ends are being forced into place in the ground.

ln the practical application of my anchor attachment to windmill-tower posts, the same are placed in position as follows: A hole is bored into the ground, preferably by a teninch auger. The legs are then inserted into the opening', the wedge F having been moved up so as to allow the lower ends to be eon traeted. The yoke E is then placed over the ends of the legs and forced down and held in place by the pivot-bolt. The wedge is then driven down by a suitable manl or tampingbar until the upper edges pass the loops D, when said legs will be forced slightly inward by the pressure of earth, and cause the said loops to proj eet over the upper outer ends of the wedge, and thereby hold the same in place.

By means of the wedge forcing the legs apart, as described, it will be seen that the I feet i) will be forced into the side walls of the hole, and thereby prevent the said legs from being pulled upward. After the legs are anchored, as described, the yoke F is removed, the lower ends G of the mill-tower posts are inserted between the upper ends of the legs, and are secured thereto by bolts, as shown.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the operation and advantages of my improvelnent will be IOO readily understood. Vhile l have described the same as being principally used to anchor windmill-towers, it is manifest that the same may be employed to `anchor fence or other posts.

My attachment may be readily anchored in the ground without the necessity of digging holes three and one-half by three and onehalf, as is usually the case when anchoring the posts in the ordinary manner. It also affords a great saving, as the attachment will last longer than the mill structure.

In the present construction of mills, where the posts are sunk in the ground, the same soon rot away and new posts are frequently necessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. An anchor attachment for posts, consisting of two leg portions, ayoke for holding the upper ends thereof apart, the upper ends of said legs having a pivotal bearing in said yoke,

and a wedge adapted to be forced between the lower ends of said legs to spread them apart, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An anchor attachment for posts, consisting of leg portions A A, having lateral outwardly-proj ecting feet a3 at their lower ends, a yoke for holding the upper ends of saidlegs apart, the upper ends of said legs having a pivotal bearing in said yoke, and a wedge adapted to force the lower ends of t-he legs apart when forced downward, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the legs A A, having a substantially pivotal bearing near the upper ends, said legs tapered on their inner faces upwardly and downwardly from said pivotal point, of a wedge-block adapted to be inserted between the lower ends of. said legs and spread the same when forced downward, substantially as shown and described.

4. An anchor attachment for posts, consisting of the legs A A, provided with verticallyelongated slots C C near their lower ends, lateral outwardly-projecting feet at their lower ends,a yoke for holding the upper ends of the legs apart, said legs having a pivotal bearing in said yoke, bails D, formed on the outer faces of the legs, projecting over the lower ends of the slots C C, a wedge iitting between the lower ends of the legs, the up'per outer edges thereof engaging the slots C, vsaid edges adapted to slip under and engage the bails D when the wedge is forced home, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. As an improvement in anchor attachments for posts, the combination, with postsection G, of the legs AA, tapered at their upper ends, as shown, means for securing said -ends to the post, substantially as described,

the lower ends thereof formed into lateral feet a3 a3, elongated slots C C, formed near their lower ends, bails D, formed on the outer faces of the legs over the slots, and a wedge disposed between the legs, its upper outer ends engaging the slots and held from upward movement by the -bails D, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

LEONARD J. M. NEHF. Vitnesses:

ALEX. STEPHENS, E. P. BURNETT. 

